The B.C. Court of Appeal has dismissed a Langley man’s appeal of his jail sentence for drug trafficking and firearm convictions.
Brendan Paterson, 30, was sentenced to four and a half years in jail for nine charges of trafficking and firearm convictions in B.C. Supreme Court in May 2013.
The Langley man appealed his conviction and lost.
In a May 13 B.C. Court of Appeal ruling, Justice Bennett found that the trial judge in his case was correct to agree that the police entry into his home was justified and didn’t violate Paterson’s Charter rights.
It was in 2007, when police were investigating a dropped 911 call. Police came out to Paterson’s 88 Avenue Walnut Grove apartment. They smelled marijuana and questioned him about it.
Paterson said he had three roaches inside. The police entered to seize the roaches, where they then saw a handgun and pills.
They obtained a search warrant and, upon executing it, found drugs and various firearms, including semi-automatics, a revolver, cocaine, meth, bullet proof vest and $30,000 cash.
Police learned that Paterson’s girlfriend had called 911 crying and saying she had been injured while she was in his apartment. She was taken away by ambulance before police arrived.